Non-US Citizens in Tampa Bay Florida area

CONTACT: Robert SanchezPublic Information Administrator

December 13, 2001

Effective immediately, Tampa Bay area residents who are not citizens of the United States and who wish to apply for a Florida driver license or ID card will be asked to go to either of two offices in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties. The new procedure is part of a statewide change in the issuance of driver licenses and ID cards.

The Pinellas office is located at 6855 62nd Avenue North in Pinellas Park. For an appointment, please call 727-547-7687. The Hillsborough office is located at 4100 W. Martin Luther King Boulevard in Tampa. For an appointment, call 813-871-7375.

Non-citizens in three other counties with large numbers of non-U.S. citizens -- Miami-Dade, Orange, and Broward -- also are being directed to designated offices. In other counties, all offices are currently available for citizens and non-citizens alike. United States citizens in all counties may use any office, including those to which non-U.S. citizens are being directed.

Applicants who are not citizens of the United States or Canada must present proof of legal presence by providing either an alien registration receipt (Form I-151 or I-551), an employment authorization card issued by the United States (Department of Justice Form I-688b or I-766), or proof of nonimmigrant classification provided by the United States (Department of Justice Form I94, not expired) and one other form of acceptable identification.

Under federal law, Canadian citizens may stay in the United States without obtaining INS documentation. To obtain a Florida driver license or ID card, Canadians must provide proof of Canadian citizenship by presenting two of the following: a valid Canadian passport, a Canadian driver license, and/or a certified copy of a Canadian birth certificate. An applicant who has a Canadian driver license but is not a Canadian citizen must provide the same proof of legal presence as any other non-citizen of the United States.

Non-U.S. citizens applying for a driver license will be issued a 30-day paper permit. Non-citizens applying for an ID card will be issued a receipt. Licenses and ID cards will be mailed from Tallahassee within 30 days unless discrepancies are noted in the documents presented to establish identity. The expiration date on all non-citizens’ licenses and ID cards will be the same as the expiration date on their INS documents.